Obituary of Larry L. Roberts Sr.

Larry L. Roberts Sr., passed away at the age of 72 on Monday, January 23, 2017, in Ardmore, Okla. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am, Thursday, January 26, 2017, at Emmanuel Baptist Church with Pastor Donny Custar officiating. Larry was born on January 28, 1944, in Deese, Oklahoma, to Henry Melvin and Lila Mae (Canada) Roberts. He attended Dickson Schools. In 1965, Larry was called to serve his country in the United States Army. He served in Germany during the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged in 1967. Larry married Miss Frances Faye Cobb on May 10, 1969, in Ardmore. Soon after, he went to work for Stromberg-Carlson and then for Stockdale Plumbing until 1978, when he and his younger brother opened Roberts Plumbing. Out of his desire to serve his country again, Larry joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard where he served for 19 years. In December of 1990, Larry was deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm with his unit from Ardmore. He retired from the Guard in 2004. Larry enjoyed singing karaoke and shooting pool and he liked going to the YMCA where he loved playing basketball and swimming. He was an avid fan of the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys. He was a long-time member of Emmanuel Baptist Church where he loved volunteering his time in the nursery and especially singing in the choir. Most of all, Larry was extremely devoted to spoiling his grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, and great-grandson, Brent Dewayne Riggle. Larry is survived by his wife, Frances of 47 years, of the home; daughter, Kimberly Cook and husband, Lloyd Allen, of Ardmore; son, Larry L. Roberts II and wife, Candace, of Shawnee, Okla.; son, Marcus Roberts and wife, Amanda, of Lone Grove, Okla.; and daughter, Sherena Bonilla and husband, Juan, of Tulsa, Okla. Thirteen grandchildren and five great- grandchildren. Two brothers: Melvin Roberts and Buel “Babe” Roberts and two sisters: Venetta Turner and Regina Maytubby. Those serving as pallbearers will be Terrence Cobb, Paul Almon, Nathan Roberts, Steven Riggle, Allen Cook and Juan Bonilla. Visitation will be held on Wednesday evening, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, at Griffin ~Hillcrest Funeral Home, Ardmore, Okla. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations being made in Larry’s name to the APS Foundation of America for Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome research, at www.apsfa.org or to APS Foundation of America, Inc., P.O. Box 801, LaCrosse, WI 54602.